It’s quite fair and lovely!

The ideal finish for an elite tournament is to have the two best teams reach the final The best result then is to have those two teams embroiled in a stirring finishIf that occurred in the 2023 menrsquos 50over cricket World Cup it would probably entail a great game between India andmdashdespite their spluttering startmdashEngland However itrsquos not often we have a breathtaking 2019style finish to a World Cup where a determined England just overcame a gritty New Zealand on a contentious count back systemAlso ReadICC World Cup 2023 Devon Conway could come in Englandrsquos wayVersatile IndiaThe 2023 World Cup is the fairest format where the 10 competing teams all play each other That way a winner canrsquot be accused of not meeting one of the formidable teamsIndia will start favourites as the most versatile squad in the competition but they also play in home conditions The second aspect could be either a blessing or a burden as there will be enormous expectation from an excitable fan baseHow India copes with that burden will determine their length of stay in the tournamentApart from the home team and the defending champion other sides likely to feature in semifinal contention are Australia a feisty New Zealand and the unpredictable but dangerous Pakistan and Sri LankaThe uppermost thought of the groundsmen in this tournament should be that cricket is at it is best when the bowlers have a chance of taking a wicket The pitches will play their part as the tournament develops the wear and tear on the playing surfaces will determine the likely influence of talented spinnersItrsquos to be hoped that the semifinal and final pitches avoid any pitfalls and provide a true test of talent for the teams good enough to make it to the knockout stageCaptainsrsquo dilemmaThe skilled and brave captains will have a big influence on their teamrsquos fortunes but they must be prepared to make some important decisionsEven though bats have improved and boundaries are shorter captains need to pick bowlers who a likely wicket taker The gap between thinking wickets or just relying on containment is wide and reliance purely on the latter can hand a big advantage to good batsmen Captains must also give attacking bowlers field placings that encourage taking wickets in ways other than bowled or leg before wicketCaptains must realise talented batsmen are hard to contain However they canrsquot score runs while sitting in the pavilion after being dismissedmdashwickets do matterTherefore taking wickets in the middle overs is crucial and good spinners have a huge role to play If the batting side are reduced to their tail in the final overs you have a far greater chance of restricting a chase If however the best batsmen are in and set during the final charge then the fielding side is generally in troubleThis places an important emphasis on the decision at the tossmdashis it best to bat or bowl first Obviously dew concerns play a part in that decision but batting first and posting a large total must be a consideration Scoreboard pressure can be worth a couple of wickets to the fielding side if they bowl well after posting a sizeable totalThis also emphasises the importance of firstclass fielding The teams that hang on to difficult important chances and effect tough run outs will give themselves a chance of victoryDespite all the ramifications and difficult decisions its crucial teams remember a succinct but effective Richie Benaud philosophy ldquoThe simpler you keep the game the better off yoursquoll berdquoBased on form and financial clout the big threemdashIndia England and Australia should all make the semifinals The team that takes fourth place will probably come from New Zealand Pakistan or Sri LankaA big concern for bilateral cricket is that finance is directly influencing form on the field Nevertheless cricket also provides an arena for upset and New Zealand playing with their usual spirited determination provided the first one in the opening fixture